I wanted to share this with the rest of the wonderful people on this site -- I've been so blessed by the help of so many people that lead me to untold riches (of family background) that I'd like newbies to know that there are opportunities for unbelievable triumph in researching your family background. On the 4th of July, 1998, I was trying to teach my cousin how to use a search engine. I said you could type in anything, even your name, and the engine gets information about websites on the subject that one could then use for further research. I typed in my maiden name and discovered that there were several genealogical sites that had that name within them -- something that I'd never thought much about, knowing how "small" my family history was (father and grandparents on my Dad's side and mother, two aunts and an uncle, two great aunts, and two great uncles on my Mom's). I knew my greatgrandparents' names and that my father was 1st generation American (parents from Canada/of English descent) and that my maternal line was 2nd generation (grandparents from Sweden/grandparents from Canada and Wales). That was ALL I knew about my befores, so that was me -- five-eighths English/one-quarter Swedish/and one-eighth Welsh and all of the English by way of Canada. Now, just 14 months later, look who I am. I've found over 100 living cousins (some as close as 3rd and 2nd), and more than 5,000 cousins (and grand, greatgrand, greatgreatgrand, etc., aunts, uncles, grandparents) who have passed over this earth before me, leaving it and me much richer for their time here. In the beginning of my journey on the electronic genealogy trail, people who had been researching for years helped me unearth the fact that many English and German branches of my family came to America and settled in the "colonies" (primarily in New Jersey) long before the Revolution won America its freedom from the British. Three weeks ago, I was generously tipped of to a branch of the family that married the direct descendent of a man who had come to America as an "apprentice" on the Mayflower [and probably celebrated in the first Thanksgiving (now when I sit down for Thanksgiving Day dinner, I will have a much greater reason to be thankful than the fact that I have the day off from work!)]. Several months ago, kindly computer genealogists helped me locate another branch of my roots: this one came to "the colonies" about 15 years after the Pilgrims of Plymouth Rock fame, helped found towns in New England, and fought in the Indian Wars (something I feel shame for now but more than likely would have felt to be our right, then). Last week, another generous soul found the link back through my one of my Scots lines to a marriage to a young woman of Dutch ancestry whose progenitors came to New Amsterdam and defended the land they claimed as their own from the Indians, and the English, little realizing that their enemies' descendents would later marry their grandchildren's children. My research, aided by the generous people on several lists, uncovered the fact that many of my relatives (English, German, and Dutch) eventually left America (through New York and Pennsylvania) for Canada (and fought for their adopted home in the War of 1812) because they supported the Crown (while many others of the same families fought alongside or pastored to the soldiers of the Revolution). Perhaps this is why I felt drawn to enter the military when I was in my mid-20s. E-genealogists helped me uncover family members who eventually left Canada again for the United States, participated in the search for new land by traveling the Oregon Trail, and eventually founded towns on the west coast of the American wilderness. So what have I learned about myself? I've discovered that there is Scots, Dutch, and German mixing with the English, Welsh, and Swedish blood in my veins. More importantly, I've been delighted to realize that I am not as alone on this planet as I once was -- there are many people out there who share the richness of my befores, to one degree or another, and we are "family"! I been humbled, realizing that the accomplishments of those who went before me have far surpassed my own considerable (at least in my eyes!) accomplishments, and they did it without the aid of indoor plumbing, refridgerators, microwaves, electricity, automobiles, supermarkets, department stores, colleges, high schools, and (in many cases) any "education" at all. My "family" consists of farmers, brewers, tavern owners, ferry owners, salesmen, soldiers, pioneers, Pilgrims, whalers, postal workers, secretaries, store owners, gasoline station owners, railroad men, rogues and rascals, battered wives (and a murderess as a result of the battering), an "intelligence gatherer", educators, lawyers, doctors, seamstresses and weavers, preachers, and numerous governmental officials. We are a conscientious, contentious, loyal, adventurous, and hard-working group. But I would have known nothing of this without the help of the people out there who helped me find my roots. All of this information has had one additional benefit. Through the gracious assistance of this people on this list, I've been able to provide my 13 year old daughter (who is studying American History this year in 8th grade) with a history lesson that will indelibly mark what she is learning, both in class and at home, in her mind. Every day in class, I'm told, her's is the first hand to go up and the last one to go down, because each thing they study is something she can truly relate to. She has always enjoyed history but, now, she LOVES it. Couple this fascination with the past with her innate writing ability and don't be surprised to read her name on the cover of books that entwine fact with imagination to bring history alive for others. As an ex-school teacher, I am perhaps more cognizant than many that finding your place in history is indeed a treasure of untold worth. Perhaps the teachers of our history classes would be best served by spending the first six weeks of a child's 7th or 8th grade year using the school's computers to find out what the family genealogy might show -- certainly seeing where they fit into the history of the countries they are studying would make their interest higher -- and finding out the histories of their classmates would give them a more indepth, visceral understanding of cultural diversity than any lecture could provide. I know I would have been more attentive during the dreaded required history lessons in elementary, secondary, and university classes if I'd known my family actually had had a history! So, long story short -- I know, TOO LATE!!! -- Thank You All for your kindness, generousity, patience and passion. I know that you, and I, will continue help the new and not-so-new people on the list discover their beginnings (and feed the additiction that the smallest bit of success engenders) because we know that, lurking around the corner, there's that one tiny piece of information we need to set us off on our next adventure of discovery. God Bless You, every one!!! Charline G. KITCHEN Ahlgreen Merritt Island, FL 32953 AHLGREEN (Norway), ALM (Norway), BERGSTROM (Sweden), BUNN (Germany/NJ), CHAMBERS (Scotland/NJ/Canada), CULVER/COLVER/COLLVER (England/MA/CT/NJ/Canada), ELLIS/ELLES (MA), HEATH (NJ), HEDLUND (Sweden), HICKS (Wales/OH), HUTCHERSON (Canada/OH), KAANG (Sweden), KARN/KERN (Germany/NJ), KARLSEN (Norway), KITCHEN (England/NJ/PA/Canada), KJONIKSEN (Norway), KUCH (Germany/NJ), LAMB (NJ), LARSON (Sweden/MA/OH), LONG (CT), MAYER, MUDEL, OSMUN (NJ/PA/Canada), ROD (Norway), SCHMID, SMITH, SWACKHAMMER/SWACKHAMER/SCHWECHHEIMER, TELFOR, THEOBALD, TYRELL/TYRRELL, VALL (Sweden), VIGORS (England/Wales), WADDELL/WADDLE, WALDEN, WHEELER (PA/NJ)